Members of a Vietnamese drugs cartel have been jailed for a total of more than 70 years for running a multi-million pound cannabis farm network across the West Midlands.

Gang leaders used the drug money to fund a luxury lifestyle of plush apartments – including a penthouse suite in Birmingham’s Beetham Tower – and high-performance cars.

They also laundered at least £2 million through casinos.

The group used fake IDs and falsified bank statements to rent homes and industrial units across the West Midlands, including in Edgbaston, Smethwick, Sandwell, Halesowen and Tipton.

Some were fitted out with extensive equipment to cultivate the plants, while others stored harvested cannabis before being sold to dealers.

In total, 27 men and two women were handed jail terms totalling 72 years at Coventry Crown Court on October 16.

Detective Sergeant Jamie Mason, from the Drug Investigation Team, said: “This was a lengthy investigation into drug cultivation on a mass scale, their production network was capable of making millions of pounds a year.

“Some of the cannabis factories were in the heart of our communities alongside the homes of families and decent working people.

"They were being plagued by drug dealers and strangers visiting the farms at all hours.”

A tip-off to West Midlands Police about “suspicious activity” at an address in Wentworth Way, Harborne, last January led police to discover a network of cannabis factories and safe houses over a six-month period.

Tony Sam, 27, of North Drive, Handsworth, posed as an import-export boss and used fake documents to secure industrial units to grow cannabis.

He was jailed for six-and-a-half years at Birmingham Crown Court earlier this year.

The youngest member of the group, 21-year-old Bao Nguyen from Albion Road, Handsworth, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply drugs and jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Other members included husband and wife Zahir Salim and Hoa Nguyen, from Cloister Drive in Halesowen, who were arrested at Heathrow Airport IN March last year.

They were both jailed for five years and three months after admitting money laundering linked to drug supply,

Many of the drug gang were illegal immigrants and will be deported following their sentences.